To Zoom or Not to Zoom…That is the Question?

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

To Zoom or Not to Zoom, That is the Question?

Well quite the brew haha has developed over the ability to zoom the webcam at the Maui Mana Kai. The question is “should I allow anyone to zoom the webcam?” Or should I turn it off?

First a bit of history and background. In early March several factors converged:

1. Visits to the web site soared by 50% over the previous months average of about 30,000 visitors to nearly 46,000 so the number of people to say thanks for the webcam or complain increased dramatically.

2. The beach where folks normally hang out was taken out to sea to be “washed by the Gods” so the folks convened in their beach going atire mostly on the State property lawn

3. The angle of the Sun was such that people were lining up at right angles to the camera when during other months they tend to be pointed more with their head toward the camera and feet towards the beach

4. Sometimes the camera was zoomed in on Molokiui, the rocks on the beach, the flowers, surf and people: old people, fat people, skinny people, young people, men, and least we not forget…women.

Over a period of about a week, I got 3 email complaints in contrast to dozens of thanks for the camera. They were offended that “body parts of young women were being zoomed in on and I better do something about it. I responded to each complaint and made these postings to the webcam page:

March 18…Third complaint today about “body parts”. So if you find zooming and other controls “locked” it is because I disabled that function until the body part goes away or the inconsiderate viewer gets frustrated and leaves. If I am not around to lock ’em out, feel free to move the camera yourself via the full motion controls. Instructions are on the webcam page.

March 12…I have received complaints today about the constant focus on “body parts”. Please, people have a little respect. The purpose of the camera is to share the environmental beauty of Hawaii. I am looking for some software to manage how long folks can control the camera and block abusers.

I got two more complaints about female body parts and lots of thanks for the webcam. I did turn off the zoom when I moved the camera off a constant focus on one individual only to see the camera zoom back. The next day I turned it back on. And then, no more complaints until I get a letter from the Secretary of the Board of the Association dated May 19, 2004 which says “The ability of the camera to focus on individuals on the lawn and the beach is disturbing”. He continues. “What we, your Board, suggests is that you limit the focus of your camera and disable its ability to zoom in on individuals…The Board must take action.” He goes on and gives me 20 days to report “what details of what you have done… or …it will be necessary to contact our staff lawyer”.

Hum…lets see. Is it good enough that I took action about 70 days before he wrote the snail mail letter? I don”t know. I emailed him on May 25th to call me so we can discuss it. I would call him, but I don’t have his phone number. It wasn’t on the letter.

Oops…perhaps you need a bit of background. The condos at the Mana Kai are individually owned. The “Board” is elected by the owners. Some units are rented out directly by their owners. Some are rented out by property managers. Mine is rented by AAOceanfront property management. They handle about 20 units in the building. The largest block, about 50 units, is sometimes referred to as the “hotel pool” of rooms. They are handled by Condominium Rentals Hawaii (CRH) property management, a competitor of mine and other rental property managers.

Just before the above mentioned letter was penned, the president of CRH called AAOceanfront. He said “something has to be done about this”. AAOceanfront recommended he call me. He didn’t. So I will track down his phone number and call him today.

Attached to the Board Secretary’s letter was an email dated April 23 and copies sent to a bunch of people I don’t even know. She said “I just received my monthly newsletter…I am outraged about this!…I feel my privacy…has been violated…I went to the web site…the focus was on two women…I printed out these photos as proof for the Board…I urge the Board to ban these things…

Hum…didn’t these people bother to read the above quoted postings which were on the same page as the “offending” picture? Why didn’t they bother to contact me first before getting “outraged”.

The newsletter (I did not know about it or see until May 26 and it was approved by CRH) reiterated the phone call from “a lady in California.” She had expressed concern about “looking at body parts and young children’s crotches…she further stated that she would not be returning to the Mana Kai until the feature of controlling the camera was disabled.” (I’ll make a deal with you, lady, rent from me and not my competitors and I will turn the camera off during your stay! Just kidding.)

By the way, I know the lady. She wrote me several times before March thanking me for the camera. I wrote her with my comments about this situation that you see elsewhere on this page. And the newsletter said that the issue was going to be on the next Board agenda. But nobody told me or asked about “the rest of the story”. So here is the article I have asked CRH to print in their next newsletter.

Webcam: The Rest of the Story

I am the owner of 215 and the controversial web cam. The web cam has been operating from there for three years and in early March I received the first complaint. I have gotten five total complaints, all in March, and none since then. In March, nearly 46,000 visits were made to the web cam which was up from my usual traffic of giving the Mana Kai over 30,000 additional monthly visitors. I have received dozens of thanks for the web cam over the years. In response to the complaints, I made these two posting to the web cam page: On March 12…I have received complaints today about the constant focus on “body parts”. Please, people have a little respect. The purpose of the camera is to share the environmental beauty of Hawaii. I am looking for some software to manage how long folks can control the camera and block abusers. And again on March 18…Third complaint today about “body parts”. So if you find zooming and other controls “locked” it is because I disabled that function until the body part goes away or the inconsiderate viewer gets frustrated and leaves. If I am not around to lock ’em out, feel free to move the camera yourself via the full motion controls. Instructions are on the webcam page”.

And the rest of the rest of the story.

Meanwhile, in late March I get an entry for the photo contest. The writer says “Hello! Thanks so much for the ability to be able to look into the world of Maui from Canada. I am leaving in three days to come to the Mana Kai! Here is a captured picture from the web cam for the Photo Contest. I called it ‘Tranquility’ for it looks so peaceful and calm.” Attached to the email is a screen grab of a young lady asleep on a lawn chair. Oh…no, I thought another “peeper” And the submission ends with Thanks so much!! -Christy :). According to her public “chat room” profile, Christy is 16! So let’s see…some people see such pictures and see porn. Others see “tranquility” Humm

Consider this:

Why haven’t I received any complaints about the close ups of fat people, old people, old fat men? (To save the expense of a broken lens, I have installed special software that prevents zooming in on me. Just kidding!) Or of people hanging out on the lawn with cell phones dangling from their ears and waving at the camera? Or the people that have asked me to lock the camera down so their wedding could be broadcast to their friends. Is it possible that some of the close ups are being orchestrated by the person themselves or a friend that gets a kick out of seeing them?

In fact, one day when I killed the zoom, within minutes the on site property manager at the Mana Kai got a call to release the zoom so this individual could see his kids! Oh yes, you should know that one person who uses the camera as his screen saver is a Irish policeman. If anything is improper…I hear from him! And you don’t want to hear from an Irish policeman!

The camera is on private property looking at public property. Is that any different from people peeping from the other 98 condos at others on the public property? I don’t know? Just a thought. Last time I looked, there are over 25,000 such web cams in the world. Including Times Square! Oh my God! I go out in public and someone might see me?

What do you think? To Zoom or Not to Zoom, That is the Question? Click on the “Comments” link below and add your thoughts. Where is Andy Rooney or Lewis Black when you need them? I’m going to go duck.

PS. May 27, 2004

Danger Will Robinson, Danger!

In interest of fairness, I must report that Eden the top guy of Mana Kai rental competitor of mine CRH, returned my call on May 27, 2004 as reported earlier in this Blog.

He said he did not read the request to “To
Zoom or Not Zoom” repeated elsewhere in this Blog and was told that the camera was looking inside. I told him that was nonsense and the camera looks outside. Then he raised a point that I had not thought of before. He said that some married people come to Hawaii with someone other than their spouses. Hence the camera looking outside might reveal an affair! So if you are having an affair at the Mana Kai, please let me know and I will turn the camera off and post a note saying “This web cam transmission is interrupted by an affair. Broadcast to resume on (date)”. Meanwhile, if you are having an affair, don’t even think of going to the poolside of the Manela Bay Hotel on Lana’i, the Sheraton Kauai Beach Resort, the Duke Kahanamoku statue or Kuhio Beach in Waikiki, Honolulu’s Chinatown, Maunalua Bay or Waikiki Beach. They all have web cams! And that is from just the first Google listing of 113,000 “Hawaii web cams”.

He closed the conversation by saying that he is against the web cam, hopes I have consulted my attorney and good luck with the “Board”. How does “Maui Mana Kai #215 Web Cam Legal Defense Fund” sound? Kinda of has a patriotic ring to it? Hmmm

56 Comments:

Anonymous said…

Aloha Mr. Fradin:I just wanted to take a moment to thank you sir. Thank you so much for the Mana Kai Maui Webcam. Myself and my extended family have been frequent guests of the Mana Kai since I was a very young child (for some 40+ years now). As an employee of United Airlines my mother was blessed with an ability to offer summer family vacations to us there on an annual basis. As we have grown up the trips have sadly become less frequent; although we were all lucky enough to be there for a Christmas family reunion last year (having been some five or more years since the last trip for some of us).

At any rate ~ I happened upon your webcam during my internet surfing just before Xmas this year. You do not know the joy that your camera brings not only to myself, my family, my sister and her family but mostly to the hearts and souls of my now 70 & 80 year-old mother and father. For us to all get a daily dose of our beloved home away from home is a gift for which I would never be able to express a sincere enough offering of thanks to you.

We will surely keep your home (Suite 215) in mind the next time we plan a vacation to this beautiful piece of paradise.

happy new year to you all . I am a police constable … I hope you and your family have a happy and prosperous year and you have a great webcam. Every stormy, rainy, sleety, night I look at your webcam and think you have an escape route.
best wishesJohn

Aloha David,This system you have setup, is fantastic!!
What all does it consist of?
How much on-site maintenance does it require?
Is there a simular set-up in the Maalaea Bay area?
The islands on the WebCam: Are they Molokini and Kaho`olawe? Where is the WebCam located? Kamaole?

Hi David
Web cam is great especially since this is one of our favorite places to snorkle in all of Hawaii. Last trip we saw a 6 foot reef shark right out there around the back towards the Surfside. It’s the fastest I’ve ever seen my wife swim to shore.Thanks, Steve 1/13/04

You really have done a great job with the cam.Thanks for the time and effort.

I don’t know how the cams work but you may consider putting a time limit on it. I have seen several that allows an individual to do what ever but only for a certain amount of time. Then the next person gets a chance. I go to the site and some dude or dudette is going all over the place it is miserable. But keep it up I certainly enjoy it. Is there a possibility to time out the camera and not let anybody do anything to it except to see a great sunset.

Hi…I may have written to you a while back about your cool web cam. We love
Maui and Kihei. My dad goes there for a month every year, and we went last
year for a week and a half with our (now two year old) daughter. We even
thought about buying a vacation condo there, and installing DSL and a web
cam (to try to bring attention to the rental, along with offering
higher-than-dialup access to tenants). Sounds like you’ve got me beat on
that, and a really nice condo too.

Dear Sir:
I understand that you had a very bad storm last week and lost all of your sand from the beaches. Is there any left at all? Will the sand wash back with tides in time or do you have to import it? We are planning a trip back to your area and perhaps the Mana Kai later this year. This is a concern for us as we enjoyed swimming off your beach the last time we were there. Thanks for the info. David 1/23/04

Dear sir, we spend 6 weeks every year at the Keihi Surfside right across from where you are and eat at the Manaki restaurants often..We really enjoy going to your website and viewing the beach the rest of the year, especially in the winter.

Hi there,
My husband and I have been visiting your sight for at least two years now and are almost wishing that the camera was the old one without all the bells and whistles. We used to get a nice panoramic view of our favorite spot on earth…now it seems we are always fighting perverts who’d rather focus in on the bikini-clad beauties on the grounds. It’s a shame for the rest of us……We’re hoping whoever it is gets tired of being a voyeur.
Thanks anyway…once-in-awhile we still get a nice view.
J Jones…WA state 2/3/04

Hi David,
Thanks for reply. Just went online to check the cam (5pm Kihei time) and got your msg.
Reason I’ve been visiting your cam so often lately is that my friend who’s snowbirding over there (home is Seattle, where I am) was going to wave at the cam at a specific time (6pm today) — we’ll just reschedule our fun, corny event if the cam isn’t up by then. Irony of ironies, we’ve been jokingly planning as carefully as the Normandy Invasion for a couple of weeks and, wouldn’t you know it, this is the first time the cam has been down. :)Cheers and Mahalo to you, too,
Phil K. 3/3/04

Just thought I’d let you know that your live cam has provided hours of great fun for a quite a few frozen folks up here in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to spend a few weeks in Kihei for the last 5 years. I usually make sure that at least once each trip I phone back to the television station here in Edmonton where I work and let the crew freezing their butts off here in the frozen North know that I’m on the beach and give them a big hang loose! When I’m stuck here myself I find that I check out the camera a few times a day whenever I’m at the computer. A few days a ago there was a couple of whales just off the beach and I watched them for quite awhile. Had I known about your Great Maui Mana Kai Webcam photo contest I would have grabbed few frames.Ken 3/4/04

Hi, I’m an owner at the Mana Kai and just learned about the webcam from my sister who is going over to stay in our condo tomorrow. How long has it been in operation? What is your connection to the Mana Kai? What is your name? Wonder why I’ve never heard of it? Last time we were there was for the owners’ meeting in November. I had heard that the beach was gone because of the storms. Hope the sand washes back FAST!Carole 3/6/04
Owner with my husband of 709

We just wanted to say Thanks for allowing us to get a view of what we will be seeing on April 14 thru the 26th, our entire family will be staying at the Mana Kai, The name is Rosen…We cant wait….see you soon…..Tom and Julie 3/12/04

TO the operator of the webcam
I am seriously offended by the fact taht your webcam is focusing on young girls sunbathing outside of the manakai. as i young girl myself, i find this extremely offensive and innapproriate, and moreover, i’m sure that to a certain degree un consenting broadcasting of people over the internet must constitute some form of illegal activity. please block the user that is doing this asap. it is a disgusting and disrespectful way to ustilize that webcam. At the least, please inform those girsl that where they are lying they are being filmed by some pervert on the internet.
many thanks
jayne 3/13/04

I have enjoyed your webcam now for quite a while and have seen nothing
to complain about as those who are objecting to “body parts”. Perhaps
they are simply too old and ugly to look good and resent those who do.
Too bad !! Hang in there…TRR 3/14/04

Hi David,My name is Dianne and I am one of the activity agents at the Mana Kai. I have the same beautiful view as the web cam, all day while I work. Thank you for putting it in place so we can share the beauty of Maui with people all over the world. Mahalo. 3/15/04

Hi There
Thank you for the great camera
However,
There is a person logged on who controls the camera and looks very closely at female body parts.
Being a female myself who has been on that lawn many times in a bathing suit, I would not like to know I am being watch my a camera.
You should try to find out who is controlling the camera and watching these women.
If you can please try to stop it. I love to come to your site and see the ocean and beach.
Thanks Mary 3/15/04

Dear DFradin- just wanted to say THANKS for sharing your WEBCAM views with those of us who spend a couple of weeks at MKM each year and spend the other 50 weeks longing for same ! Just got back on March 15 (only got to spend 10 days this year ) and I must admit I posed in front of your beach cam for a friend… Too bad about the boneheads who abuse your good will by zeroing in on body parts, but fortunately there’s not TOO much of that going on.. I keep your beach cam on my favorites at work and at home in Utah and grab a little Maui when the withdrawal gets too intense…THANKS again-
Karen K, Salt Lake City , UT 3/21/04

I have been a Mana Kai guest for @ 8 years running, and have watched this cam off and on since I found it. I have enjoyed watching “my” paradise when I am back home, but not when the camera is obviously zooming in on a particular part of a woman’s body. What is up with this? It is somewhat disgusting, not to mention an invasion of her privacy. When visit next week, I will be sure to keep out of range of this camera!Gail 4/16/04

Thank you for putting your webcam online for others to enjoy!Cindy and I have a webpage that has 3 webcams on it. The front webcam shows our driveway and views the irises we have planted, the back webcam hows the pond that we built 4 years ago. We have a roaming wireless webcam whose position changes occasionally. Right now it is showing a view of our pond from a different position from our main pond webcam.

Cindy and I are saving up for a vacation in Hawaii either this or next
year and are thinking of staying either on Maui or on Kauai.

Hello,
My name is Deanna & I am Mr. & Mrs. …(405) granddaughter. I have enjoyed the web cam but am sad about how it is being abused. Can you made it so people can’t zoom in? I have been on it several times today & have gone in and moved the camera so we can see the view not the people. My grandparent got such a kick out of me being able to see what they are seeing, I wouldn’t want the camera to stop, but it seems many people aren’t using it for the view of the palms & ocean. I hope you will be able to solve the problem and keep the camera.
Sincerely,
Deanna 5/2/04

I think your web page is great! Even though I am one of the people that you had to lockout on the zoom feature, it was worth it! Don’t listen to the uptight people that don’t know how to have fun and enjoy life and want everyone else to be miserable like they are. Keep up the good work.Dave 5/26/04

Well I was having Maui withdrawls today and went to look at the beach. Ah….nothing beats a sunny day and beautiful water when the weather here stinks. Wish I was there instead.To zoom or not? Well if you can just get the camera to pan around randomly that seems reasonable. I just wait to watch the changing scenes. If someone wants to zoom and hold on certain bodies they can do that on lots of other sites.

Thanks for keeping the camera going and don’t let the grief of the ‘board’ get you down. You bring more joy and pleasure to viewers than you’ll ever know.

I’m in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and I have been watching the Mana Kai camera ever since discovering it a few years ago. Back before David set up the new camera with the zoom capability. I would hate to see the camera restricted to just a wide shot. I have been one of those people standing on the lawn with my cell phone stuck to my ear while I try to explain to one of my friends back in Edmonton (in February where it’s -30 below! )how to zoom in on me and how to get a saveable frame.
I’ve managed to make it to Maui for the past five years for my winter break and I run on the beach in front of the Mana Kai daily. Every time I go by I always look up and give a wave because there’s always a chance that one of the folks back home are watching because they know when I run. When I’m back in Edmonton I check the camera frequently. It’s nice to be able to zoom in on the water and see the whales when they’re in the area. I managed to watch them for quite a few minutes one day awhile ago. Unfortunately it was before David started collecting photos so I didn’t save any. Maybe next year.
I just think that people need to use their heads. I understand the attraction of a beautiful woman in a bikini as much as the next guy but let’s show a little common sense. There are plenty of live cams out there with women on them if that’s what you’re looking for.

David,
I would love to see the zoom left on (spotting a whale is tough in wide angle), but can understand the reactions of others when all they see is “body parts” (such an interesting way of putting it!! ).
I stop in once in a while (especially while at work).. look at what is going on, and wishing that I was THERE and not at this desk!!
Well.. in September I WILL be there, finally! Not at the famous 215, but at least on the island. I will definitely go over to the lawn and wave.
Thanks for having the cam running. It is great!!!
Neal – San Antonio

Aloha from Maui! I enjoy viewing your webcam to find out if it’s a sunny day on the south side. I go to Mana Kai beach a lot. I don’t particularly care if people zoom in on adults, but zooming in on children, in my opinion, crosses a line. Your webcam’s usefulness is not diminished by locking out the zoom feature, and that is what I would prefer. And actually, when someone zooms in, “webcam war” begins, and no one can actually enjoy any of it, because several people are trying to move the webcam all over the place. It is quite comical, but not very useful at that point.

Thank you for the webcam of my favorite spot on Earth – (the surf, beach and palm trees, NOT someone’s crotch or cleavage). Since there seem to be so many who want to continue to focus on people’s bodies, how about a second webcam for those who just want to commune with Keawakapu Beach. Perhaps this second one could give the wide view of the sea, sand and trees. It would be truly interesting (to me, anyway) to see which of the cams (not the Kams) gets more hits. I would bet it would be the one of the beach, not the bodies.
Christine

That is definitely one of the finest webcams in the world. I don’t know of any other one where you can control so many of the functions. And it’s almost like being there. There were two women chatting on the ground with a little baby and the baby was playing with one woman’s pony tail. You could zoom in the camera and it was like being there on the beach in Hawaii. I hope the critics can’t shut down the zoom. If they do that, then the camera will be just another pretty picture and not the worlds finest as it is now.

What a lovely view you have! Thank you for sharing it. I also love the audio of the surf, birds, and hawaiian doves. Is there any way you can have that audio playing constantly? It brings back such fond memories of my visits to Maui.Mike

Thank you for this wonderful site!! I found it right brfore we came to Kihei in May, and realized
when we got home, the Five Palms is there, which we ate at twice. Love the Mana Kai, and want to stay there, but would prefer to live in Kihei!!! At least I can look at you webcam every day, and get the feeling!!
Char

Isn’t technology wonderful? To be on one side of the planet and seeing it in real time on the other. After reading all the other posts, I find it interesting that:
a) some people try to change everything into what they believe it should be (complain & threaten), and not just simply enjoy it for what it is, a little bit of everything at the Mana Kai.
b) I read labels used here to describe people who zoom in on “body parts” as “perverts”. Just what constitutes being a pervert? Someone who looks at a woman who goes into public wearing what SHE chose? But last time I looked, and the webcam was on a bikini clad woman, it was a beautiful Maui sight! I like the palm trees, and the ocean, as much as the rest, but there is also other scenery at the beach that is beautiful. Some people may not like the water, but does that mean none one else should be able to look at it either?
c) Realize, people come here to get away from all the annoying, controlling, bitchy people, so stop being one.
Life isn’t always going to be the way you think it should be, nor should it.

Hi from Seattle,
I have to cancel our Hawaii Spring trip for the first time this year, due to an ankle fusion I had lst week. (Got hit by a drunk driver in Lodi in 1980, I was indeed stuck in Lodi.) We always stau at the Cape on Hawaii near the Mauna Lani, I started watching the sunsets from the hospital, today I found your sight, thanks Sir, for making me smile and the mynah birds.
January

Comments A friend provides webcam visuals daily to my email. I fought breast cancer last year, and looking each day at the website caused me to want to go to this place once I was free and clear from the BC. I am and so we want to go.

Hi DavidWhat a find! Your web camera is great. It brings back great memories for me and my family and reminds me how much I want to get back there.
I’ve read a good bit of the blog about those who would censor the camera (and you I’m sure, if they could). “Non illegitimis carborundum est!” The camera is looking at a public beach; presumably the people there are comfortable with what they choose to wear and know that they will be seen weather face to face, through binoculars or cameras. Personally I prefer to see the view of the beach over closeups of body parts so I would not mind losing the zoom feature but it is hardly something to get nasty over, in my opinion. No one is forced to watch the site.
Jim
Kingston
Canada

I love your webcam. It takes me to a wonderful place every day. I actually have it as my home page. And, I have a friend staying at the Mana Kai right now and we’re trying to coordinate it so she can wave at me from Maui (to San Diego). Thanks for adding that little bit of enjoyment!!

We have booked a vacation at the mana kai in October, and I just have to comment on the webcam. I don’t understand what anyone can be thinking allowing people to control it. It seems that 95% of the time I go to look at the webcam it is focused in on a woman sun-bathing of using the outside shower.While I appreciate the fact that the webcam is there, and it can pan and show different shots of the area, why give people control when it is going to be used for no good purpose except to make some guys feel like peeping toms? It certainly will not give my wife or me any comfort while we are there to know that every time we walk past whomever is controlling the webcam will be zooming in on my wife.

Can you please stop the insanity and take away people’s control of the webcam? Sure, give access to view it, and maybe have it pan around to show the area, but don’t let some mal-adjusted guy sitting in his basement control it.

I’m sure you’ve gotten tons of compaints about this, and if you fail to do anything about it I have to wonder exactly what your intentions are.

1. Over 95% of the emails and web postings I have gotten are in support of zoom.
2. Earlier this year when the camera went down I gotten dozens of emails asking for its return. 90% were emails from women.
3. If you were on public property with your wife and someone stares at her, what could you do? NOTHING But in the case of this camera, if you don’t like what it is looking at, you can move the camera.
4. I don’t appreciate your impugning my integrity in order to make your point.

3 thoughts on “To Zoom or Not to Zoom…That is the Question?”

You are expressing a right guaranteed by the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. Don’t let anyone scare you. Threats to DC your webcam are actionable legal torts and the threateners can be liable to you! I actually live very nearby, and enjoy the extra eye on beach conditions. Truthfully, I kind of also enjoy the view of some body parts. Those who feel threatened by body parts should not view, and CERTAINLY should avoid the beaches! The web cam
is great. Mahalo, and keep on zooming!

In response to the public beach cam ! This is a public cam installed for security/marketing. By the resort. The cam is operated by interested tourists, daydreamers, and families that have visited Hawai in the past. This is a public place on the beach . Anything viewed on this cam is premedetaded by the general public. Furthermore ! Cameras in public places have solved crimes and saved countless lives all over the world . Like at Atm’s, Banks, Malls, homes, etc . Its not illegal to take photos of anyone or anything in a public place . It becomes illegal when you trespass on /or violate an individuals privacy on there property.

It seems that in a free society, there are always those who would attempt to “steer” the entire population in the only direction that suits them, thereby infringing on those freedoms of anyone standing outside the relm of their personal preferences.

The 16 yo female seeing tranquility in a sun-bather or others zooming in on a retired couple (almost like us) soaking up the breeze and surf and sun from under the floral tree (hibiscus?) on the right near the shower must be protected from the zealots. It is unfortunate that the range (pan and tilt) has been compromised due to the pressure of a very minute few with large oral cavities. The option remains that if you don’t like what’s there, then don’t look! Stop messing it up for the mass majority!

One of the thrills of such a versatile camera was the ability to observe how the locals celebrate holidays on the beach vs how we do it in the cold MidWest. And, if I want to see what they’re having on the picnic table (because it most likely is different than what we might be having here), then I want to be able to zoom in tight enough to see whether it’s Mahi-Mahi or Ahi or a burger and whether it’s drizzled in a pineapple sauce or the the green sauce from up the street!

It’s unfortunate that there will always be the self-appointed morality police making a flawed determination for the rest of us who in the name of morality, righteousness, and, of all things, freedom try to dictate their views to the rest of us. Obscenity, like beauty (or tranquility) is in the eye (blinded and single sighted as it appears to be here) of the beholder.

In downtown Lahaina, there’s a very large tree in the middle of the block (park). As far as I know, there are still three corners open where some of these people could get a stool and preach to the “masses”. The one nearest the main street is already occupied by the graying local with his own Bible and agenda.